Systems and methods for analyzing odors

ABSTRACT

An odor analysis system is provided to analyze odors present at a particular location and perform a preliminary identification of the odors while still at the location. The odor analysis system can have an odor processing device that collects samples of the odors and provides a series of odor notes to a user. The odor notes can be based on the separated and concentrated molecules in the collected sample. The odor analysis system can also include a hand-held computing device with a user interface that permits the user to enter information, both verbally and through touch input, about the series of odor notes provided by the odor processing device. The information entered by the user about the series of odor notes along with retention index information about the series of odor notes can be to perform a preliminarily identification of the molecules associated with the odors present at the location.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/989,349, entitled, “Systems and Methods forAnalyzing Odors” and filed on Aug. 10, 2020, which is incorporatedherein by reference. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/989,349 claimspriority to U.S. Pat. No. 10,816,519, entitled, “Systems and Methods forAnalyzing Odors” and filed on Jul. 18, 2018, which is incorporatedherein by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 10,816,519 claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/534,069, filed Jul. 18, 2017 and entitled“Systems and Methods for Analyzing Odors,” which is herein incorporatedby reference.

BACKGROUND

The present application generally relates to systems and methods foranalyzing odors at the location where the odors are present.

The presence of an unfamiliar and/or unpleasant odor in area may be asource of annoyance for people that are living or working in the area.In some cases, the presence of the odor may be indicative of a safetyhazard to the people in that area. In order to take action to remediate(and/or prevent) the presence of the odor, and possibly the safetyhazard associated with the odor, an identification of the odor has tooccur so that the source of the odor can be determined and appropriateremediation steps taken to eliminate the odor. However, theidentification of the odor in an area can be difficult because the odormay only be intermittently present in the area (e.g., the odor isdetectable for a certain time period and then is undetectable foranother time period) and/or diluted by the surrounding conditions in thearea.

One technique for identifying an odor in an area can involve thecapturing of samples in the area and then taking the samples to alaboratory for subsequent analysis of the samples and identification ofthe odors. One drawback to this technique is that it is difficult forthe person capturing the sample to ensure that an appropriate sample hasbeen captured (i.e., a sample with sufficient odorous molecules from thesource of the odor to perform a successful analysis). Another drawbackto this technique for identifying odors is that it can take asubstantial amount of time (e.g., days or weeks) for the identificationof the odors to occur. Improved techniques for analyzing odors morereliably and quickly are generally desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure can be better understood with reference to the followingdrawings. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scalerelative to each other, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the disclosure. Furthermore, likereference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the severalviews.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an embodiment of a system in accordance withthe present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a process for using thesystem of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of an odor processingdevice from the system of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of a solid/liquid samplesystem from the odor processing device of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of an hand-held computingdevice from the system of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a process for the user toenter olfactory information into the hand-held computing device.

FIG. 7 shows a front view of an input screen of the touchscreeninterface for entering olfactory information.

FIG. 8 shows a side view of a user entering olfactory information intothe hand-held computing device.

FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of a graph with aromagram information andchromatography information.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure generally pertains to an odor analysis system toanalyze odors present at a particular location and perform a preliminaryidentification of the odors while still at the location. The odoranalysis system can have a mobile odor processing device that collectssamples of the odors and provides a series of odor notes to a user. Theodor notes can be based on the separated and concentrated molecules inthe collected sample. The odor analysis system can also include ahand-held computing device with a user interface that permits the userto enter olfactory information about the series of odor notes providedby the odor processing device. The olfactory information (e.g.,intensity, duration and odor descriptors) entered by the user about theseries of odor notes along with retention index information about theseries of odor notes can then be used to perform a preliminarilyidentification of the molecules associated with the odors present at thelocation. The preliminary identification of the molecules can then beused to confirm that the collected samples are suitable for subsequentanalysis by a laboratory. The laboratory can then perform additionalanalysis on the collected samples in order to confirm the preliminaryidentification of the molecules.

The odor processing device can include a standalone, portable, odormeasuring/characterizing instrument that extracts and concentratesmolecules associated with odors and other volatile chemicals in thesurrounding environment. The odor processing device can separate themolecules and provide the separated molecules to the user as the seriesof odor notes. In other words, the odor processing device can be aportable instrument that can be carried into an environment (e.g.,inside an industrial building, farm, construction site, etc.) toconcentrate the chemicals (and molecules) responsible for odors (and allother volatile chemicals present in the air) and then provide thecapability for a user to detect the odorous chemicals by olfaction.

The odor processing device can have multiple sample collecting devices(e.g., sample traps) that can collect samples of the odors in thesurrounding environment. Each of the sample collecting devices caninclude a sorbent material that extracts and concentrates odorouscomponents, volatile, semi-volatile and non-volatile chemicals, andhazardous volatile organic compounds from the atmosphere surrounding theodor processing device. The odor processing device can then desorb andseparate the molecules from the sorbent material using a gaschromatograph or via other suitable devices or techniques for desorbingand separating molecules from a sorbent material. In some embodiments,the odor processing device may incorporate a mass spectrometer (or otherdetector) to deliver additional information about the collectedmolecules.

The user can then enter olfactory information about the series of odornotes provided by the odor processing device using the user interface ofthe hand-held computing device. The user interface enables the user toenter information relating to the time, intensity, duration, andolfactometry perception of the odor notes via cross-modal matching. Inone embodiment, a user (e.g., a trained odor judge) sniffs theseparated, concentrated molecules forming the series of odor notes anddescribes the odor and rates the odor intensity utilizing time-intensityolfactometry based on cross-modal matching and odor intensity-distanceperception. The olfactory information can then be recordedelectronically (e.g., stored in the hand-held computing device) and thenpresented in graphical form for data interpretation (e.g., displayed onthe hand-held computing device). The graphical display can be importantto indicate which molecules may be responsible for the odor. Thehand-held computing device can then calculate a retention index for themolecules and use the retention index and the other olfactoryinformation to identify the specific molecules. The hand-held computingdevice can obtain information over the Internet from reference databasesthat include information that specifically identifies molecules byretention index and other olfactory information in order to identify themolecules by the calculated retention index and other olfactioninformation entered by the user.

Once the identified molecules are confirmed as being from a good sample,one of the sample collecting devices that was not used to provide theseries of odor notes (e.g., an unprocessed sample collecting device) canbe provided to a laboratory for further analysis. In the laboratory, thechemicals in the collected sample may then be identified by desorbingthe sorbent material from the sample using appropriate techniquesincluding thermal desorption, solvent desorption, chemical desorption,desorption by exposure to energy sources or other suitable methods. Theextracted chemicals can then be analyzed by any analyticalinstrumentation including gas chromatography and high performance liquidchromatography, and any detector including any form of mass spectrometry(including SIFT (selected ion flow tube)), flame ionization, UV(ultraviolet), IR (infrared), or a biological or electronic nose. Theresults from the laboratory analysis can then be compared to theidentified molecules from the hand-held device to confirm theidentification of molecules by the hand-held device.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a system that can be used to analyze andidentify odors at the location where the odors are present. The system100 can include an odor processing device 20 to collect odors andprovide a series of odor notes to a user 40. The user 40 can sniff theseries of odor notes and enter olfactory information regarding theseries of odor notes into a hand-held computing device 60. The hand-heldcomputing device 60 can communicate over a network 80 with a servercomputer 90 to obtain information to identify the molecules associatedwith the series of odor notes based with the information entered intothe hand-held computing device 60 and other information generated by thehand-held computing device. In one embodiment, the network 80 can be theInternet and use transmission control protocol/Internet protocol(TCP/IP) for communication. However, in other embodiments, the network80 may be an Intranet, a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network(WAN), or any other type of communication network using one or morecommunication protocols. The server computers 90 can store informationcorrelating a specific molecule to one or more characteristics of themolecule (e.g., a retention index and corresponding olfactoryinformation). In one embodiment, the information stored by the servercomputers 90 regarding the molecules may be organized into one or moredatabases and/or tables.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a process using the system 100 for theidentification and verification of molecules responsible for an odor ata particular location. The process begins with a user 40 (e.g., an odorjudge) bringing the system 100 to a site having an odor problem andidentifying the location of the odor (step 202). In one embodiment, theuser 40 can inspect the site to determine a specific location at thesite where the odor is believed to be the strongest or most prevalent.Once the user 40 has determined a location for the odor, the user 40 canuse the hand-held device 60 to prepare and store a preliminary odorprofile for the odor (step 204). In one embodiment, the preliminary odorprofile can include one or more character descriptors (provided by theuser 40) for the aromas sniffed by the user 40 (e.g., sweet, sulfury,fruity, musty, foul, rotten, oily, onion, almond, earthy, sharp, floral,grassy, etc.) and any candidate molecules the user 40 believes may bepresent at the location based on the user's sniffing of the aromas atthe location. After the user 40 has prepared and stored the preliminaryodor profile in the hand-held device 60, the user 40 can position theodor processing device 20 at the location.

The odor processing device 20 can collect two (or more) samples of theodors at the location (step 206). In one embodiment, the odor processingdevice 20 can collect samples by flowing air from the environment at thelocation and extracting and concentrating the molecules from the airinto a sorbent material. Once the samples have been collected, the odorprocessing device 20 can desorb the molecules from the sorbent materialof a first sample (step 208) and then separate the molecules (step 210).In one embodiment, the desorbing of the molecules from the sorbentmaterial and the separation of the molecules can be performed by a gaschromatograph incorporated into the odor processing device 20. Theseparated molecules can then be provided to the user 40 as a series ofodor notes at a sniff port of the odor processing device 20 (step 212).

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of an odor processing device 20. The odorprocessing device can obtain samples by having a pump 22 draw outsideair from the surrounding environment of the location into or over thesurface of two or more sample collecting devices 24 (e.g., sampletraps). The sample collecting devices 24 can include a sorbent materialthat is mounted on the exterior of a hollow tube (or cylinder) formedfrom metal (e.g., stainless steel), glass, ceramic or a glass or ceramiccoated metal tube and maintained at an ambient temperature. In anotherembodiment, the sorbent material may also be positioned (e.g., packed)inside the hollow tube. In one embodiment, the sorbent material can beadhered to the exterior (and/or interior) surface of the hollow tubeusing a polymeric resin such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) or othersimilar resin. However, in other embodiments, other techniques can beused for mounting the sorbent material on the hollow tube. The odorprocessing device 20 can include a housing (not shown) that secures thesample collecting devices 24 in position to collect the samples.

The sorbent material may include one or both of absorbent and adsorbentmaterial. Regardless of which type of sorbent material is used, thesorbent material can extract and retain volatile, semi-volatile, andnon-volatile molecules from the environment by absorption andadsorption. Forces and mechanisms responsible for the absorption and/oradsorption include Van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonding and/orpolarity. In an embodiment, the sorbent material can include materialsthat do not have volatiles and are thermally stable, such aspolydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). However, in other embodiments, the sorbentmaterial can include, in addition to or in place of PDMS, one or more ofthe following: Tenax®, activated carbons made to various pore sizes(e.g., CarboPack™ or Carboxen®), zeolites, Carbowax™, polyethylene(particularly low crystallinity polyethylene), polypropylene, suitableacrylates (including blends and copolymers), cellulose, papers, silicagel, alumina, zeolites (particularly large pore volume zeolites)polystyrene templated absorbents, macroporous polymer beads, naturalpolymers (e.g., chitin or chitosan or their derivatives), cyclodextrinsor other material that may be matched via Hansen solubility parameters.In further embodiments, the sorbent material layer 20 may also includepolyvinyl acetate, polyisoprene, styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR),polybutylene, polyacrylate, polyglycol or polyurethane as well as otherpolymers that are known in the art, or may become known in the art.Softening agents such as microcrystalline wax may also be utilized toprovide a softer, easy to mold sorbent material.

In one embodiment, the sorbent material can target specific chemicals(or molecules) or classes of chemicals (or molecules). In other words,the sorbent material can be selected such that the sorbent material issensitive to (e.g., absorbs or adsorbs) or selects certain chemicals orclasses of chemicals. For example, small fatty acids (e.g., smell ofrancid butter) may be extracted and/or trapped by having an ion exchangesurface on or in the sorbent material such that when the small fattyacid is absorbed by the sorbent material, the small fatty acid is heldor fixed in place in the sorbent material. Similar techniques can beused to extract and trap aldehydes, ammonias, amines or other acids inother embodiments. In one embodiment, the selection of the sorbentmaterial may be based on the Hansen solubility parameters of the targetchemicals or odors.

In an embodiment, the sorbent material can have a sufficient volume ofsorbent material to permit the sorbent material to extract and hold asufficient amount of molecules to permit subsequent analysis. The volumeof the sorbent material can be controlled based on the surface area ofthe sorbent material and the thickness of the sorbent material. Thethickness of the sorbent material can be based on the surface area forthe sorbent material, which is controlled by the size of the hollowtube, such that there is a sufficient volume of sorbent material. Thesurface area, thickness and total volume of the sorbent material can beoptimized to permit the quick desorbing of the molecules from thesorbent material when energy is applied.

After an appropriate sample has been collected, a desorption device 26can be used to desorb the molecules from the sorbent material of one ofthe sample collecting devices 24. In one embodiment, the samplecollecting device 24 can be heated by the desorption device 26 tothermally desorb (or release) the molecules from the sorbent material.In one embodiment, the sorbent material of the sample collecting device24 can be rapidly heated by conduction from a metal (e.g., the hollowtube used for mounting the sorbent material or a metal rod inserted inthe hollow tube) that is heated by induction with electromagnetic wavesin the frequency range of 100-400 kHz. In another embodiment, thetemperature of the surrounding environment for the sample collectingdevice 24 can be raised (e.g., by placing the sample collecting device24 in an oven) to raise the temperature of the sorbent material andrelease the molecules. The desorption device 26 may incorporate athermocouple to monitor and maintain the temperature used fordesorption. In a further embodiment, Peltier heating may be used to heatthe sorbent material. Since the sorbent material may be heated rapidlydue to a shallow depth of material and a large surface area in contactwith the hollow tube, the differences in individual molecule releasesfrom the sorbent material can be very small, which can result in allmolecules desorbing from the sorbent material at the same time.

When the molecules release from the sorbent material, the molecules canbe separated by separator 28 so that the molecules are not provided tothe sniff port 30 and detector 36 at the same time and overload the user40 and detector 36. When molecules release from the sorbent material,the molecules can be pushed by an inert gas or other carrier gas (e.g.,nitrogen, argon, hydrogen or helium) from carrier gas supply 32 into theseparator 28. In one embodiment, the separator 28 can be a piece ofcapillary column (e.g., a fused silica tube) that has coatings thatforce the molecules to interact with the coatings inside the column inorder to affect the velocity at which the molecules traverse the columnand reach the sniff port 30 and detector 36. The molecules can interactwith the coatings inside the fused silica tube based on the molecule'sand the coating's molecular size, polarity, hydrogen bonding, and otherphysical parameters. In one embodiment, the desorption device 26 and theseparator 28 may be provided by a gas chromatograph that is incorporatedin the odor processing device 20. The gas chromatograph may include anoven (e.g., a desorption device 26) that houses a gas chromatographiccapillary column (e.g., a separator 28).

The sniff port 30 can be coupled to the separator 28 or to the splitpoint with the detector 36 by a short length of capillary tubing thatterminates into a nose cone. In one embodiment, the capillary tubing canbe formed from inert methyl silicone or other stationary phase materialand the nose cone may be formed from glass or other material. The nosecone may be heated independently from the separator 28. The detector 36can be coupled to the split point with the sniff port 30 by capillarytubing similar to that used for the sniff port 30. In one embodiment,the detector 36 can be a mass spectrometer, infrared (IR), ultra violet(UV), flame photometric, diode array, or other chemical detector.Electric power for the detector 36 may be provided by power supply 25.In an embodiment, the length and diameter of the column in separator 28can determine what split of molecules (e.g., 50%, 67%, etc.) goes to thesniff port 30 and what split of molecules (e.g., 50%, 33%, etc.) goes tothe detector 36. While the embodiment of FIG. 3 shows a detector 36coupled to the separator 28, it is to be understood that otherembodiments of the odor processing device 20 may not include a detector36 and the molecules from the separator 28 would be provided directly tothe sniff port 30.

As an example, molecules released by desorption device 26 can be sweptfrom the surface of the sorbent material into inert capillary columntubing (e.g., the separator 28) by an inert gas (e.g., nitrogen) orother carrier gas. As the molecules pass through the length of tubing(molecules in nitrogen carrier gas can be called effluent) the flow issplit with part going through a length of tubing directed to the sniffport 30 where the user 40 sniffs the molecules. The remainder ofeffluent is directed to the detector 36 for analysis by the detector 36.

In an alternate embodiment, the molecules in the sorbent material canmore slowly absorb energy via conduction from a metal tube that is beingslowly heated by induction (or Peltier heater) while trapped in thesorbent material and can reach an energy state that breaks the bondsbetween the molecules and the sorbent material thereby releasing themolecule. The different and unique capacity at which different moleculefunctional groups absorb energy results in the molecules releasing fromthe sorbent material at different times, thereby removing the need forseparator 28. In other words, the molecules may be thermally desorbedfrom the sorbent material with a slower ramp of temperature, thuseliminating the need for the separator 28 (e.g., gas chromatographiccolumn).

In another embodiment, the sample collecting device 24 can be irradiatedby electromagnetic energy, including tunable microwaves, from thedesorption device 26. In one embodiment, the desorption device 26 caninclude a magnetron wave guide that provides tunable electromagneticradiation for the purpose of desorbing molecules present in the sorbentmaterial. If the sample collecting device 24 is to be irradiated byelectromagnetic energy, the sorbent material can be mounted on a glassor ceramic tube (but not a metal tube). The molecules can desorb fromthe sorbent material by uniquely absorbing energy based on functionalgroups present in molecules, or by the sorbent material uniquelyabsorbing energy based on functional groups in the sorbent material andthe molecules absorbing energy due to conduction. The molecules canabsorb microwave energy while trapped in the sorbent material and canreach an energy state that breaks the bonds between the molecules andthe sorbent material. In an embodiment, the molecules can absorbmicrowave energy at different levels than the sorbent material. Thedifferent and unique capacity at which different molecule functionalgroups absorb electromagnetic energy results in the molecules breakingfree from the sorbent material at different times thereby removing theneed for separator 28.

In still another embodiment, an electronic gate can be used forseparator 28. In an electronic gate, electric current causes themolecules to align and form a barrier. By turning the current on andoff, the barrier is closed or opened, thus establishing a passage forseparated molecules to flow from the desorption device 26 to the sniffport 30 and detector 36.

In a further embodiment, a suspect odorous material that is from eithera solid or liquid sample can be placed into the solid/liquid samplesystem 34 for extraction of the odorous molecules from the solid orliquid sample. In one embodiment, the solid/liquid sample system 34 canbe an extraction device that utilizes steam distillation to remove themolecules from the solid/liquid sample 37 that has been inserted intothe solid/liquid sample system 34. As shown in FIG. 4 , the solid/liquidsample system 34 can have a water supply 39 separated from thesolid/liquid sample 37 by a membrane 38. Upon rapidly heating the waterpresent in the water supply 39 to generate steam, the steam flows fromthe water supply 39 through the porous membrane (the membrane 38provides barrier to liquid water but not to steam) into the sample bedwith the solid/liquid sample 37. The steam can saturate the solid/liquidsample 37 and distill the molecules from the solid/liquid sample. Thepump 22 can then be used to flow the steam from the sample bed into thesample collecting devices 24, so the sample collecting devices 24 cantrap the molecules from the solid/liquid sample 37 as described above.While the embodiment of FIG. 3 shows a solid/liquid sample system 34coupled to the sample collecting devices 24, it is to be understood thatother embodiments of the odor processing device 20 may not include asolid/liquid sample system 34 and the odor processing device 20 wouldonly be able to collect and process air-based odors.

The odor processing device 20 may also include a power supply 25 toprovide energy to one or more components (e.g., pump 24, desorptiondevice 26, etc.) of the odor processing device 20. In one embodiment,the power supply 25 may have an interface that allows the power supply25 to plug into or otherwise interface with an external component, suchas a wall outlet or battery, and receive electrical power from suchexternal component. In another embodiment, the power supply 25 mayincorporate one or more batteries (e.g., a lithium-ion battery,lithium-polymer battery, nickel-cadmium battery, or nickel-metal-hydridebattery) to permit the odor processing device 20 to be independent ofthe external power component. Power supply 25 may include a charginginterface such as a physical connector to attach to a charger orinductive charging circuitry.

Referring back to FIG. 2 , after the separated molecules are provided tothe sniff port 30 of the odor processing device 20 (sometime referred toas a series of odor notes), the user 40 can enter olfactory informationregarding the sniffed molecules into the hand-held computing device 60(step 214). In one embodiment, the hand-held computing device 60 can bea smartphone. However, in other embodiments, the hand-held computingdevice 60 can be a personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet computer,portable gaming device, and/or an attachable, wearable, implantable ornon-invasive computer or device.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the hand-held computing device 60 of thesystem 100. The hand-held computing device 60 may include logic 62,referred to herein as “control logic,” for generally controlling theoperation of the hand-held computing device 60. The hand-held computingdevice 60 also includes sniffer logic 64 to collect, store, process andanalyze the sniffer event data 66 and to identify the molecules presentin the sample collected by the odor processing device 20. The hand-heldcomputing device 60 can also include voice recognition logic 65 toconvert voice entries provided by the user 40 to the voice interface 76into text that can be stored as sniffer event data 66. The control logic62, the sniffer logic 64 and the voice recognition logic 65 can beimplemented in software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof.In one embodiment, the sniffer logic 64 can generate a moleculeintensity and duration measurement display (e.g., an aromagram) thatincludes the text of the voice entries provided by the voice recognitionlogic 65. In addition, the sniffer logic 64 can be used to perform theanalysis associated with identifying the sniffed molecules and tocontrol the timing and/or data transfer between the hand-held computingdevice 60 and the odor processing device 20 and its correspondingcomponents.

In the hand-held computing device 60 shown in FIG. 5 , the control logic62, the sniffer logic 64 and the voice recognition logic 65 areimplemented in software and stored in memory 68 of the hand-heldcomputing device 60. Note that the control logic 62, the sniffer logic64 and the voice recognition logic 65, when implemented in software, canbe stored and transported on any non-transitory computer-readable mediumfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution apparatus(e.g., a microprocessor) that can fetch and execute instructions. In thecontext of this application, a “computer-readable medium” can be anydevice, system or technique that can contain or store a computer programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution apparatus. Thehand-held computing device 60 may be implemented as a combination ofhardware and software, such as at least one microprocessor or other typeof processor programmed with instructions for performing variousfunctions. Other configurations of the hand-held computing device 60 arepossible in other embodiments.

The hand-held computing device 60 shown in FIG. 5 includes at least oneprocessor 70, which has processing hardware for executing instructionsstored in memory 68. As an example, the processor 70 may include adigital signal processor or a central processing unit (CPU). Theprocessor 70 communicates to and drives the other elements within thehand-held computing device 60 via a local interface 72, which caninclude at least one bus. Furthermore, a touchscreen interface 74 can beused to input data from the user 40 into the hand-held computing device60. In one embodiment, the touchscreen interface 74 can include atouchscreen that may be used to display images to the user 40 and alsoto receive inputs from the user 40. Similarly, the voice interface 76can be used to receive voice or audio entries from the user 40. In oneembodiment, the voice interface 76 can include a microphone to recordsound or noise occurring in the area surrounding or in proximity to thehand-held computing device 60.

The hand-held computing device 60 can also include a location sensor 77(e.g., a GPS (global positioning system) sensor) to provide informationrelating to the location of the hand-held computing device 60 and aclock 78 that can be used to track time and synchronize operationswithin the hand-held computing device 60. The clock can also be used toprovide a time stamp on the user's entries (either voice or touch) intothe hand-held computing device 60 to indicate when the sniffer eventdata 66 was obtained. In one embodiment, the control logic 62 and/or thesniffer logic 64 can determine the user's location using informationfrom the location sensor 77 and store this information with the user'sentries (either voice or touch) into the hand-held computing device 60to indicate where the sniffer event data 66 was obtained. In anotherembodiment, voice interface 76 may include circuitry for receivingelectrical signals representative of voice entries or other audioinformation from user 40, and may include circuitry for providingelectrical or data signals representing voice entries or audioinformation to voice recognition logic 65.

Hand-held computing device 60 may also include a communication interface79. Communication interface 79 may be a wired interface, wirelessinterface, or any combination thereof. A wired interface ofcommunication interface 79 may include a receptacle to interface with awired connection and communication circuitry for sending and receivingdata over a suitable wired connection (e.g., Ethernet, USB, FireWire,lightning, etc.). A wireless interface of communication interface 79 mayinclude a wireless transceiver and related circuitry for transmittingand receiving data over any suitable wireless interface (e.g., Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, cellular, NFC, etc.). In one embodiment, the communicationinterface 79 can include a radio frequency (RF) radio or other devicefor communicating wirelessly with the odor processing device 20, thenetwork 80 and server computers 90. The communication interface 79 canbe used to receive information from the odor processing device 20 (e.g.,an analysis from detector 36) in one embodiment. The receivedinformation from the odor processing device 20 can be stored in snifferevent data 66 and then processed by the sniffer logic 64 as needed.

Hand-held computing device 60 can also include an input interface (notshown) that can enable the user to enter information into the hand-heldcomputing device 60 via other techniques besides voice and touch input.For example, the input interface may permit data entry by one or more ofthe following: keyboard, mouse, pen, gestures, virtual reality,augmented reality, etc.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an embodiment of a process for a user 40to enter olfactory information regarding a molecule (or odor note)sniffed by the user 40 from the sniff port 30. In one embodiment, theuser 40 can enter olfactory information via a time-intensity olfactoryassessment system (or other olfactory assessment system) provided by thesniffer logic 64. The time-intensity olfactory assessment system enablesthe entry of real-time intensity vs. time measurement information (e.g.,retention time) along with an odor descriptor for the molecules receivedby voice recognition logic 65. The olfactory information entered by theuser 40 can then be used for the identification of the moleculesassociated with the odor at the location. In one embodiment, the processof FIG. 6 can be used to enter olfactory information in step 214 of theprocess of FIG. 2 .

The process begins with the user 40 sniffing for a group of moleculesfrom the sniff port 30 (sometimes referred to as an odor note) anddetermining the odor character of the sniffed molecules (step 602). Theuser 40 can then provide a verbal description of the odor character ofthe sniffed molecules to the hand-held computing device 60 via voiceinterface 76 (step 604). In other words, when the user 40 perceives amolecule at the sniff port 30, the odor character of the molecule isverbally described by the user 40 and recorded by the voice interface75. The voice interface can then provide the recorded description to thevoice recognition logic 65 present in the hand-held computing device 60for conversion to a text form and storage in sniffer event data 66.

The user 40 can then indicate the intensity and duration of the sniffedmolecules via the touchscreen interface 74 of the hand-held computingdevice 60 (step 606). FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of a user interface onthe touchscreen interface 74 that is generated by the sniffer logic 64for the user to interact with to enter the intensity and duration of themolecules from the sniff port 30. In one embodiment, the user can enterand/or adjust the intensity associated with the molecules from the sniffport 30 via a touch input by sliding either a finger of thumb of theuser along touchscreen interface 74 as shown by FIG. 9 . In oneembodiment, the intensity of the molecules from the sniff port 30 can beindicated with the user's fingers (e.g., thumb and index finger) byadjusting the distance between the fingers as the fingers imprint on thetouchscreen interface 74 of the hand-held computing device 60. In oneembodiment, the user 40 inputs the duration of the odor note by pressinghis/her fingers to the touchscreen interface 74 for the amount of timethat the odor is detected. The providing of the duration information bythe user 40 can occur simultaneously with the providing of the intensitydata by the user 40. In other words, the duration of the odor note cancorrespond to the time the user 40 begins entering intensity data forthe odor note (e.g., touches touchscreen interface 74 with finger) andthe time the user 40 stops entering intensity data (e.g., removes fingerfrom touchscreen interface 74). The touchscreen interface 74 can providetactile feedback to the user 40. The distance indicated between theuser's fingers can be correlated with a 0-10 point sensory scale (seeFIG. 8 ). The widest distance (based on the physical size of thetouchscreen interface 74 of the hand-held computing device 60) that canbe indicated by the user 40 is equal to an intensity of ten (10), orstrong odor associated with the sniffed molecules. A distance betweenthe user's fingers equal to one-half the size of the touchscreeninterface 74 indicates an intensity of five (5), or moderate odorassociated with the sniffed molecules. No distance between the user'sfingers on the touchscreen interface 74 can indicate an intensity ofzero (0) no odor was detected from the sniffed molecules. The method ofmeasuring odor intensity with cross-modal matching of aroma intensityand linear distance perception using the touchscreen interface 74 andthe sniffer logic 64 can improve the accuracy of the intensitydetermination by the user 40.

In one embodiment, a time parameter that can be used to calculate aretention time for the sniffed molecules (or odor note) can bedetermined to correspond to the time when the user 40 enters an initialintensity for the sniffed molecules. In another embodiment, a timeduration of the sniffed molecules (or odor note) from the sniff port 30can correspond to the time between the first non-zero indication ofintensity for the sniffed molecules until the intensity of the sniffedmolecules is adjusted to zero. The time parameter and/or retention timeand the time duration, if determined, can be stored in sniffer eventdata 66 with the other olfactory information pertaining the sniffedmolecules.

The verbal description of the molecule and the indicated intensity ofthe molecule provided by the user 40 can be time stamped by clock 79 andstored in sniffer event data 66. In one embodiment, the verbaldescription of the molecule and the indicated intensity of the moleculeprovided by the user can also be stored with location data from locationsensor 77. Once the user-provided verbal description and the indicatedintensity of the molecule from the sniff port 30 is stored, adetermination can be made as to whether additional molecules are beingprovided from the sniff port 30 (step 610). If there are no furthermolecules being provided from the sniff port 30, the process can end.However, if additional molecules are provided from the sniff port 30,the process can restart with the user 40 determining the odor characterof other sniffed molecules in step 602.

Referring back to FIG. 2 , once the information regarding the sniffedmolecules has been entered in step 214, an aromagram can be generated onthe hand-held device 60 for the user 40 (step 216). The aromagram caninclude the retention time, odor intensity data, and odor duration datafor the sniffed molecules on a 2-dimensional graphical display plot. Inone embodiment, if a detector 36 is also used in the odor processingdevice 20, the information displayed by the aromagram can besynchronized (e.g., using a start signal) with the retention time vssignal intensity/duration data generated by the detector 36 (if present)so that signals match based on retention times. FIG. 9 shows anembodiment of an aromagram displaying both information entered by theuser 40 and information provided by the detector 36. In FIG. 9 , theinformation above the horizontal axis (A) can be provided by the user 40and the information below the horizontal axis (A) can be provided by thedetector 36. As can be seen in FIG. 9 , there is a substantialcorrelation of the two sets of information in that several of the peaksidentified by the detector 36 correspond directly to peaks identified bythe user 40. This correspondence of information can provide a level ofassurance to the user 40 that the user's assessment of the molecules iscorrect.

The sniffer logic 64 can then use the information from the aromagram tocalculate a retention index for each of the sniffed molecules (step218). The retention index is a value that is calculated in order toreliably compare the results from different systems (e.g., gaschromatographs) and to account for differences in the operation of thesystems. The retention index can be calculated based on a calibrationparameter that is determined for the particular system (e.g., desorptiondevice 26 and separator 28) using one of two mixtures (e.g., a solutionof linear hydrocarbons (“HC Standard”) or a solution of linear ethylesters (“Ester Standard”)). The retention index can be asystem-independent constant that corresponds to a retention time for asniffed molecule. The retention time for a sniffed molecule cancorrespond to the time taken for a molecule to pass through separator 28(e.g., a chromatography column). The retention time can be calculated asthe time from injection of the molecule into the separator 28 to thedetection of the molecule at the sniff port 30.

The sniffer logic 64 can then generate a table (or other data structure)that correlates the calculated retention indexes for the sniffedmolecules with the olfactory information from the user 40 and, if used,the detector information from detector 36 (step 220). After generatingthe table, the sniffer logic can then access the databases at the servercomputers 90 to obtain information from the databases that listsidentified molecules based on the molecule's retention index and otherolfactory information and/or detector information (step 222). Thesniffer logic 64 can then identify the molecules in the table using theinformation obtained from the databases (step 224). In one embodiment,the sniffer logic 64 can compare the retention indexes for the moleculesin the table to determine if there is a substantial correlation with aretention index for an identified molecule in the database. If there isa substantial correlation, the sniffer logic can determine that themolecule from the table is the identified molecule from the database.The sniffer logic 64 can then determine if the olfactory informationand/or detector information for the molecule in the table issubstantially similar to the corresponding information for theidentified molecule in the database in order to confirm theidentification. If there is no substantial correlation of retentionindexes between a molecule in the table and the molecules in thedatabase or if the olfactory information and/or detection information ofthe molecule in the table and an identified molecule in the databasedoes not correspond, the molecule is not identified. In one embodiment,the sniffer logic 64 can automatically generate a report for the user 40on the hand-held computing device 60 that includes the identifiedmolecules and the olfactory information for the identified molecules. Ifa detector 36 is included in the odor processing device 20, the reportcan also include the information generated by the detector 36.

The user 40 can then compare the identified molecules from the snifferlogic 64 to the preliminary odor profile generated by the user 40 at thestart of the process (step 226). Based on the comparison, the user 40can then determine if a good sample was collected (step 228). If theuser 40 determines that a good sample has not been collected (e.g., thepreliminary odor profile has only limited correspondence with theidentified molecules), the process returns to step 206 to collectadditional samples and repeat the process. However, if there issubstantial correspondence between the preliminary odor profile preparedby the user and the identified molecules from the sniffer logic, theuser 40 can confirm that a good sample has been collected and can sendthe second sample to a laboratory for further analysis (step 230). Whensending the second sample collecting device 24 to the laboratory forfurther analysis, the user 40 can remove the second sample collectingdevice 24 and place the sample collecting device in a sealed vessel(e.g., a sealed aluminum foil envelope or a glass jar) that prevents thesecond sample collecting device 24 (or sorbent material) from beingfurther exposed to chemicals. In another embodiment, the second samplecollecting device 24 can be placed in the sealed vessel prior toinitiating the processing of the first sample collecting device 24.

At the laboratory, a desorption process is then applied to the secondsample collecting device 24 to desorb (or remove) the moleculesextracted and concentrated by the second sample collecting device 24.The molecules absorbed and/or adsorbed by the sorbent material of thesecond sample collecting device 24 may be desorbed by any methodincluding thermal desorption, solvent desorption, or desorption byexposure to different energy sources, including various forms ofelectromagnetic energies. For thermal desorption, the sorbent materialis placed in a thermal desorption unit or heated chamber, equipped withinert gas flushing and temperature control. Upon heating the chamber,molecules desorb from the sorbent material, are swept by an inert gas orother gas (e.g., helium, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen) into a trapmechanism (e.g., a liquid nitrogen cooled cryo-trap, an absorbentmaterial, or a combination thereof). The trap mechanism may be rapidlyheated to release components and deposit them as a tight band on acapillary column for separation by a gas chromatograph (GC) anddetection and measurement by a detector (e.g., mass spectrometer (MS),flame ionization, or flame photometric). Alternatively, the moleculesmay be desorbed by solvent and analyzed by GC or by high performanceliquid chromatography (HPLC). HPLC may utilize various detectors, suchas MS, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), diode array, and/or otherwavelength of electromagnetic radiation. In one embodiment, the analysisperformed by the laboratory can provide similar results to the detectorinformation generated by the detector 36.

A report can then be generated by the laboratory with the results of theanalysis and provided to the user 40. In one embodiment, thepresentation of the data can use an automated graphical presentation onthe hand-held computing device 60. In another embodiment, an automatedreport system can be used where the identification of the molecules andthe olfactory information collected by the sniffer logic 64 can becombined with the results of the analysis from the laboratory andtransmitted to the user 40 with minimal manual labor.

Although the figures herein may show a specific order of method steps,the order of the steps may differ from what is depicted. Also, two ormore steps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence.Variations in step performance can depend on the software and hardwaresystems chosen and on designer choice. All such variations are withinthe scope of the application. Software implementations could beaccomplished with standard programming techniques, with rule based logicand other logic (such as machine learning) to accomplish the variousconnection steps, processing steps, comparison steps and decision steps.

It should be understood that the identified embodiments are offered byway of example only. Other substitutions, modifications, changes andomissions may be made in the design, operating conditions andarrangement of the embodiments without departing from the scope of thepresent application. Accordingly, the present application is not limitedto a particular embodiment, but extends to various modifications thatnevertheless fall within the scope of the application. It should also beunderstood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is forthe purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting.

What is claimed is:
 1. An odor analysis system to identify odors presentat a location, the system comprising: an odor processing devicepositioned at the location and configured to collect at least twosamples having molecules associated with the odors at the location, theodor processing device configured to process one sample of the at leasttwo samples to provide a plurality of odor notes to a user, each odornote of the plurality of odor notes corresponds to a type of molecule;and a computing device configured to be carried by the user at thelocation, the computing device comprising a user interface to receive atleast one input from the user corresponding to an intensity and durationof the odor note of the plurality of odor notes, the computing deviceconfigured to determine a retention time for the odor note of theplurality of odor notes based on the at least one user input and tocalculate a retention index for the odor note of the plurality of odornotes based on the determined retention time, the computing devicefurther configured to identify, at the location, the type of moleculeassociated with the odor note of the plurality of odor notes based onthe retention index and provide an output based on the identified typeof molecule.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device isconfigured to generate an aromagam for the user based on intensity andduration provided by the user for each odor note of the plurality ofodor notes.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device isconfigured to enable a user to prepare a preliminary odor profile of theodors at the location prior to the odor processing device collecting theat least two samples.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein a second sampleof the at least two samples is analyzed by a laboratory in response tothe preliminary odor profile prepared by the user corresponding to theidentified molecules from the computing device.
 5. The system of claim1, wherein the odor processing device comprises a gas chromatograph. 6.The system of claim 1, wherein the odor processing device comprises adetector configured to analyze the plurality of odor notes.
 7. An odoranalysis method to identify odors present at a location, the methodcomprising: collecting, with an odor processing device, at least twosamples having molecules associated with the odors at the location;processing, with the odor processing device, one sample of the at leasttwo samples to provide a plurality of odor notes to a user, each odornote of the plurality of odor notes corresponds to a type of molecule;receiving, with a computing device at the location, at least one inputfrom the user corresponding to an intensity and duration of the odornote of the plurality of odor notes; determining, with the computingdevice, a retention time for the odor note of the plurality of odornotes based on the at least one user input; calculating, with thecomputing device, a retention index for the odor note of the pluralityof odor notes based on the determined retention time; identifying, withthe computing device at the location, the type of molecule associatedwith the odor note of the plurality of odor notes based on the retentionindex; and providing, with the computing device, an output based on theidentified type of molecule.